New Age
by Zenmusha
Summary: After the defeat of Incognito, Hellsing was left struggling for survival. Capitalizing on this opportunity, the FREAKs have taken over control of England. And only two real vampires stand between them and the fall of the Anglican church.
1. From the Journal of Seras Victoria

From the journal of Seras Victoria

20 May, 2007

I don't know why, but tonight I found myself remnisciative. I felt an urge to write down once again how Hellsing Institution fell and rose once more. It all started with Incognito, that strange African vampire. He had such despicable powers. When Master fought him, there was a time I believed he'd lose. The way Incognito fired his own bullets back at him… It was terrifying. But Master was not defeated. No, he was more powerful than that. The only thing that had prevented him from destroying Incognito on sight were those stupid seals. There was once a time I'd be grateful for having a human presence to control my vampiric self, but not now…. I've sunk too deep on the dark.

Darn, caught myself rambling. Well, in the end Alucard (my Master) used his power to full extension and impaled Incognito with a silver spear he magically created. We were the only two operatives that survived the mission. Walter had a heart attack and died in hospital. He did force himself too much. Poor guy… Integra, to keep up appearances, was sentenced to a lifetime penalty. As for Master and me, we kept working for Hellsing. Even though we couldn't rescue Lady Integra for political reasons, we still had to do our job as FREAK hunters.

Those were the best patrolling days I've had. We didn't have access to all the amount of info the organization once supplied us, so we had to work things out another way, listening to rumors and such, stalking ghouls back to their master's den. I was obviously better than Master when it came to intel gathering. He was as fierce as a dragon in combat, as always. At dawn, before we went to sleep in the manor's dungeons, he'd teach me the vampiric ways. I became very good at scanning minds and passing through walls. Though I was too young to learn the most advanced skills, Master was very encouraging. I never thought he actually cared about my training until then. To supply us with blood, I used to steal nearby Hospitals. Shame on me, but it's better than assaulting the citizens. Fortunately for us, our ammunitions suppliers were still operating.

But every good thing must come to an end. Truth be told, even our best efforts were not enough to control the FREAK's, who'd became much larger in numbers after Incognito. The Vatican now had every excuse to intervene, and they sent many other paladins like Anderson to London. The battles in the streets became so frequent that soon everyone knew about the existance of vampires. The British government called Integra to a martial trial, and she stood accused of failing to fulfill her duties as a protector of the country. She was sentenced to death, to appease the bloodthirty Londoners who sought someone to accuse. Alucard and myself would not stand for it, of course, and we attempted to bust Integra out. We had to kill many men. That didn't bode well for Integra's side.

We managed to rescue Integra, though we only furthered the feeling she was the one to blame, since she had resorted to vampires to release herself. The Vatican understood it like their way into the hearts of Britain's children, and attacked us. Anderson was sent as always, claiming he had a score to settle with Alucard. He brought two others with him, as brutal as himself, though not as skilled or experienced. I had to fight both while Alucard fought the Judas Priest, he was the only one who could defeat him anyway. Even with all the training I had endured they were too much for me. One of those bastards stabbed me with those bayonnete swords, and threw me against a wall. The other, who was closest, kicked the sword further in, so that I was stuck into the wall and couldn't release myself. They used their opportunity to assassinate Lady Integra. Master felt it when Integra was decapitated. In that brief moment's time, Anderson managed to cut him upside-down, and he was torn in two. The three paladins walked up to me, ready to finish the job.

They didn't expect what happened next. Neither did I. Master transformed into a flock of bats (he really enjoyed that) and stood beside me, the only thing separating me from their wrath. He told them he no longer had a master, and therefor was free. But before that, since he had failed in his task, he'd have to kill his master's assassins. His powers were once again unblocked, and he nearly destroyed the manor in the combat. Anderson's companions were killed, but Anderson escaped as always, disappearing amidst the "true" bible's leaves. Alucard helped me get up, after painfully removing the sword piercing my torso. He looked at me with dissapointed eyes, like I had failed him. And I did.

There was no point in continue fighting together. That was the fact. Hellsing was destroyed. Alucard now spent the nights alone in his cell, drinking like mad. As for me, I tried to live a relatively normal life. Though all the jobs I took were, well, crap. Having to choose between being a stripper and a cleaning girl was barely an option, in my opinion. But apparently I was only "skilled" at those jobs. In case someone's reading this against my consent, I chose the last!

Eventually, the FREAK's took over. A normal life for me was about as likely as falling in love with Maxwell. No, Stetra. So I did what I thought right: I once again fought for the now fallen Hellsing. Though the Institution's bank account was frozen, I managed to use Walter's account (that had miracullously remained untouched) to hire new staff. The old man had never spent a pence in himself all those years.

Mercenaries, most of them, like after the Valentine brothers had attacked. Alucard watched apparently not very interested to my attempts at controlling the infestation. First, we acted like the Mafia, being payed by private employers to protect their properties. That gave us financial backup, though I was far from reaching my goal. It was an exhausting experience! Not only I leadered the men in the field, but I had to take care of all the paperwork. It was only after a few weeks that Alucard decided to help me out. Under a few conditions: he'd only do what he wanted, otherwise I'd have to ask him. After all, he was still my master.

Somehow, the thrill of leadership must've gotten into him, and he claimed he'd never been so entertained ever since he defended his lands against the Turks. While I did the paperwork, he acted as the commander. His warcraft skills did the job just fine. In fact, we'd have lost many men if it wasn't for him. He, of course, wasn't the least bit interested in his men's lives, and didn't think twice when he had to use them as bait. That didn't make him very popular amidst the mercenaries. During those times, it was almost like we changed our roles. I was the master, and he the fledgling. I never really had to ask, as he was always eager to send FREAKs to Hell.

In the meanwhile, a civil war had broke out. On one side the FREAKs, organized in clans, and on the other the British Government, who had moved to Northern Ireland, under the Vatican's advice. They were being soundly defeated by the FREAKs, despite their efforts. Not only on London, but the whole of Britain, that now appeared to be a nesting ground for the damn things. Other major countries were having FREAK problems, and monsters as well. It seemed WWIII was being waged between Humanity and Hellspawn. I didn't like it the least bit, so I decided to go back to active duty as a spy. I found out that the vampire clans were leadered by long forgotten No Life Kings, who saw this as the chance to regain influence in the world. Alucard frantically laughed at their stupidity when I relayed that bit of info to him.

That left me intriged. It meant that true vampires had connections to the ones producing the FREAK chips. Regardless, three major clans had sprung from the ashes of London. The Tetsubo, street FREAKs leadered by a Japanese vampire dating back from the XVIth century, the Damphir, skilled in Dark Arts, and the Nosferatu, composed by the strongest FREAKs ever. Their titles were stupid, but their power was for real. Hellsing was yet to have grown strong enough to compete with them. Master didn't think like I did, and ordered me to join him in an attack against the Damphir in order to "make an example". What we didn't expect was that we'd attack their base during a meeting with the other two clans.

Before we knew it, we were surrounded by vampires. I never thought I'd dodge so many bullets like in that day. Fortunately our soldiers remained at the base, otherwise we'd have lost our entire army. Though we did suffer a tremendous loss. The leader of the Damphir, a vampiress by the name of Letice, imprisoned Alucard with a spell similar to Anderson's own. From a black book she used to carry around, leaves written in what seemed to be blood poured out and wraped around Master. The Japanese vampire decapitated him with a blow from his katana, grabbing the head for himself. The leader of the Nosferatu, a truly monstrous vampire, wriped his heart out. I was lucky to have escaped. But I had once again failed my Master.

I try to convince myself that it was his fault. And it was. He was the one claiming he could deal with all three leaders at the same time. But it isn't a good excuse. I should've stood for him 'till death. Somehow, I know he isn't dead. Again, that is… I've read every record on the experiments the Hellsing family had made on him (poor Master) and found out that such spell can be reverted if the pieces are recollected and the blood of a virgin is dropped within a proper altar. I'm still a virgin, lucky me! Well, sort of… Ahemm, well, now all I have to do is get back my Master's pieces from the clans. Luckily for me, some blokes from Tetsubo mistakenly threw the head into a garbage bin a few days ago, which meant less work for me and executions for them. I can't wait to get back the other pieces and restore Master to his former self. I miss him so much. Even though he taunts me all day, calls me Policewoman with that sarcastic grin of his and is quite literally a blood-sucking bastard, I can't help but like him.

next episode: Seras attacks the Damphir! The quest for Alucard's restoration begins! Reviews are welcome!


	2. The Vampiress of the Opera

Before we start: Tetsubo – a sort of Japanese mace.

                          Don't own Hellsing, never did, though if I did I'd dragoon the anime's creators into making a 2nd series!

                          On the last chap, I only said Incognito was african because of his "voodoo"-like powers and his deformed head, what reminded me that some ancient african cults did so to a few select children whose features pleased their gods. So, no hate-mail, please.

Now to get on with things:

Seras was sitting on the wooden chair inside her bedroom in the dungeons writing a new entry onto her journal. She'd been writing ever since she joined Hellsing, after that fatidic night on Cheders. For her, it was an alternative to a confident, something she hadn't had in the Institution. Alucard was not very social, if his pranks were conveniently forgotten, Integra didn't have the time nor the obligation to befriend her, in fact doing so would be favouritism, something the former leader of Hellsing could not indulge in, and Walter, despite his carefree and gentle nature, was too busy with his duties to speak for her longer than the usual comforting word. Everyone else was either scared to death of her, or couldn't engage on a conversation different than Macho crap. Done with the journal for now, she closed it and put it on the table in front of her. She had a sad look, as if recent painful memories had been dug up. "Master…" she whispered. Saddling up, she got back on her feet and walked to the shooting range. A few soldiers stared at her when she entered. Seras didn't mind, she was used to it. All she wanted was to get a rifle. Luckily for her, there was an abandoned M-16 standing by her locker. She had plans for tonight, and they didn't involve the cumbersome Halconnen Cannon. After checking the weapon's condition, Seras turned to the mercenaries, looking at her with inquiring eyes. "I'm going to raid the Damphir base. You don't have to come with me, as I'll be doing this on my own accord. But I'd greatly appreciate your help." No one seemed to be tempted to help, they weren't payed enough to deal with that sort of crap. Especially if that meant having "pain-in the-ass" Alucard back."You're being a world of help…", she moaned. She'd have to go alone. She walked to the entrance hall. Before leaving, Seras took time to admire the mansion. No one had cleaned it after Integra's assassination so…It was a wreck. Burned walls riddled with bullet holes and silver knifes, broken furniture, little sharp pieces of glass spread throughout the room, shattered windows, dried blood here and there, heaps of dust accumulating everywhere, it seemed a haunted mansion. The dungeons were an example of welcoming environment in comparison. Then again, it was home to two vampires. _Or one if I don't succeed. _Before leaving, she took one of the knives. They might prove useful. Gathering her courage, she opened the front door and walked outside.

Locking the door on her way out, she went to the garage. An Honda motorcycle was there. She had bought it to give to herself on the first Christmas at Hellsing. Reaching for her chest pocket, she grabbed hold of the ignition key and hopped unto her bike. Its engine rumbled as it was turned on. Seras skillfully drove it to the front gates, before having to dismount and opening them. Or in this case, try to open them. She'd left the key inside. A bit impacient, Seras decided to make use of her vampiric abilities. Lifting her motorcycle with two hands, she walked up to the gates. "**Remember, feel as if you and what you carry are nothing more than fog, entering through every crack, no matter how microscopically small.**" Her Master had told her that on their first attempt, and despite a few early troubles, that involved being half stuck inside walls, she had succeeded in mastering the skill of walking through walls. Gates were easier than walls, and Seras had no trouble passing through them. Free of all restraints at last, she mounted once again on her trusted bike and head towards Central London.

The city was no better than the mansion. Buildings either ruined or collapsed were now all that remained of the once proud London, and only a few citizens had chosen to remain in such an inhospitable city, for reasons unknown to Seras. Though she had heard rumours that the FREAKs sent scouts to English villages to gather humans to use as prey. And judging by the desperate and haggard looks of the few men and women that hid on the smaller streets, it might just be true. She halted as she reached her destination, the Queen's Theatre. Before the FREAK attack, it was playing the Phantom of the Opera. Now it was nothing more than Damphir's base. Dismounting, Seras walked around to the backstage entry. Turning her guns' safety to off, yet determined to use it only as a last resort since stealth was her best option, Seras breathe in and kicked open the door. No one was inside. Entering the theatre, and closing the door as quietly as possible (a futile precaution if you consider how it was open), Seras made her way through the corridor connecting the actor's chambers, always looking out for vampires. Then, she heard a woman's cry from inside one of the rooms. "..No…Please stop…" She stopped to think. If she helped the woman, the element of surprise would be lost. Her Master's body might not be recovered, and on the next night, the Damphir (and perhaps the other two clans) would throw in a party at Hellsing's door. Cursing herself for her pity, she walked right through the door. "_Why didn't I enter that way? Stupid girl!_" There were two male vampires dressed as 19th century gentlemen, who were shredding the clothes of a terrified young woman, obviously planning of having their fun with her before sucking her blood. One of the vamps slapped her. "Shut up, you wench! Who do you think's going to help you? The Phantom of the Opera?" The vampires laughed at their stupid joke. Her tear-covered face lightened as she saw Seras reaching for the silver knife at her waist, a predatorial look on her face. "She! She's the one who's gonna save me!" Seras was mortified by the stupidity of the woman. Perhaps if she joined the vampires, she might… "_Taste your thoughts to see if they're palatable, Seras!_". And they weren't. No choice but to fight.

Drawing her knife, she jumped on the nearest FREAK and motioned to stab him in the heart. She was most surprised when the blade clashed against a force field. The assaulted vampire looked like he was using all his power to maintain the field. "What are you doing, you idiot? I can't keep this up for ever! Get her!" He shouted to his companion. "No need to say twice!" The companion punched Seras in the face, causing her to slam against a nearby drawer that did not resist the impact. Grabbing a piece of wood that served as a perfect replacement to a wooden stake, the FREAK attempted to stab Seras, who tried to get in a standing position, in the heart. Due to her reflexes honed by long hours of training and enhanced by her undead state, she managed to make a quick jump right, and, landing with her left foot, spun around herself in an attempt to decapitate the vampire. Once again the force field prevented her from claiming her prey. The other vamp jumped on her back, and attempted to snap her neck. Feeling the building pressure on her neckbones, she relied on instinct. Kneeling down slightly, she thrusted her upper body forward with full force, and sent her assailant flying against he other vampire, who had seen his chance to try and stab Seras again. Instead, he stabbed his companions' back, who slammed against him before dissapearing into dust. Coughing ashes, the vamp looked at Seras, who seemed more than determined to send him to the lowest pit of Hell. "You can't kill me… That guy's death was merely accidental! You're nothing but a lowly fledgling!" The FREAK taunted, trying to break her focus. "Oh, and what are you, you failure of a living being?" Alucard lines often mind-raped his opponent's upset to the point of losing their proper state of mind, which seemed to be just what she needed to break through his invisible shield. "So, you're a true vampire, you say? Spanking and raping defenceless women before drinking their blood, and doing so for fun, not to appease the thirst, does that fulfill your desires? Makes you feel powerful?" Now she knew how her Master felt, toying with her prey before killing it. Anger mingled with joy began to form. She wanted to kill him! Raising her blade, Seras aimed at the FREAKs forehead and fiercely hacked with a downward motion. The FREAK made a desperate attack. There was only a split second between the blade's clash with the vampire's weakened shield and its erosion. She cut the FREAK in two. He attempted to speak before his separate pieces felt in opposite directions.

Seras turned to the terrified woman. "Please, don't hurt me, l'lady vampiress! I'm not worthy of your anger! I just want to leave…" The woman rantled. Gathering all her patience, she tried to calm down the woman. "You don't have to worry, I've drank my blood before coming here." Bad idea. "I mean… Look, you don't have to worry about a thing, I'm here to rescue you." The woman didn't seem very convinced. "C'mon, you said it yourself that I'd save you, and I did. If I wanted you hurt, I wouldn't have entered this room in the first place." She seemed to calm down, to Seras' relief. "I… s'pose so, m'lady… what's your name?"

"Seras, and you don't have to call me lady. I'm only 22." She smiled at the woman's startled face. "Not all vamps are evil, century old, arrogant creatures. Just most of us." Before dismissing her, a thought came up to her. "Have you seen the rest of their base?" The woman nodded affirmatively. "Great! I need to know the layout. Do you mind if I scan your thoughts?" She looked a bit aprehensive. "It won't hurt a thing. And besides, I need to find something very valuable for me…" Seras looked down sadly. It was still so recent. "If it's so important to you, then I guess it's the least I can do to repay your kindness." The girl looked like she was going to give her a bear hug. "OK, then, it'll be easier if you relax yourself. Allow me to enter your mind, and remember all you can about the inside…" Seras relaxed her body. Breathing in and out, deeply and slowly, she cleansed her mind of thoughts. "**Do not allow anything to disturb you, Policewoman. Like nicknames, for instance. Visualise a door in front of you, and on its surface the picture of who you want to scan. Open it, but remember that the stronger their will, the harder it'll be to enter their mind.**" She didn't have many difficulties opening this door, though.

Seras' body moved against her will, being pushed and shovelled by ghouls. From the orchestra pit, she was led to the stage, were Damphir's leader, Letice, sat on a prop throne. She was a red-haired, tall woman, about Alucard's size. Her young face was of a beautiful pale tone, and her eyes were purple. She was clad in a black dress, covering all of her body except the neck and hands. "So, my hunters have brought another one to our lair? Hmm, I'd love to taste your blood, but my students here have worked so hard today… I think they'll be better of with you." The two vampires Seras killed earlier appeared from behind the throne, eager looks on their faces. The vision became blurry as Seras began to lose control. "_Don't let that bother you! Remember, I killed them, you don't have to worry about them!_" She successfully managed to calm down the woman. The two vamps grabbed her by her wrists and led her through the backstage. A few vampires played with the props, attempting to lift the fake chandelier by use of their telekinetical abilities. One of them succeeded, and lifted it as far as the ceiling. Seras noticed something interesting there: the body of a beheaded man wrapped in paper was tied to a rope originally meant for other purposes. It was Alucard's body! A few armed ghouls were guarding it, though, so things wouldn't go as easy as she'd hope. She was led once again to the chaimbers, as the FREAK let the chandelier fall and crash loudly on the floor.

That was all she needed to know. Seras snapped out of her transe, looking a bit drowsy. Shaking her head, she turned to her new friend. "OK, that's all I needed to know, thanks. You can go now. It's a short run from here to the outside." The woman looked concerned at her. "Please, miss Seras, be careful. I hope you leave this place with whatever you came in search for." By the looks of it she'd have to fight some more, and the odds weren't too friendly. She walked towards the door. Just as she opened it, an invisible string wrapped around her neck. It squeezed  around it, metodically cutting through her flesh. When Seras finally acknowledged what was happening, it was too late. The laced string sunk deeper, and hacked through bone, thus decapitating the woman. With a mixture of pity, anger and surprise, Seras tried to look to the figure behind the woman's body, that gushed more blood through the injury than what seemed humanly possible. A skinny female figure dressed in a red and green checked jester outfit stood there. She wore a mask that prevented Seras from gazing at her face. The transparent strings could be heard sliding back to the vampiresses' gloves. "So, you're Alucard's little pet. From what I heard of him, I'd say he chose the worst human girl he could find." She had an annoyingly sharp 13 year-old voice, though she could be centuries old. Walking over her victim's corpse, she moved towards Seras. "Allow me to present myself. I'm Mistress Letice's most loyal apprentice, Darcia." Somehow Darcia reminded Seras of Walter. "Did you think you could get away just like that? Those who enter our domains without our concent must all be punished." She laughed silently. "From the moment you took pity on that human creature you damned yourself. We're all connected to our Mistress, Native and FREAK."

Darcia waved her hands, ejecting the resistant yet supple murderous strings. She looked like a puppet master, waving her hands to control the strings' course. Before Seras could react, she was tied up. Her arms and legs were immobilized, and her neck and abdomen had been laced, which meant she'd have a gruesome death unless she thought fast. She had been in this situation before, and had only escaped because Walter had snapped out of the incantation he had been put under. No such luck with Darcia. Pulling back only made things worse, so… The other way might be a good idea. Challenging her equilibrium, Seras kneeled down a bit to gain impulse, and torpedoed forward. The pressure was momentarily relieved. Just as she was about to collide head on with her enemy, Darcia jumped, rectracting her legs on the way up, making Seras harmlessly fly below her. She turned to Seras is mid-air, and pulled the strings again. She didn't kill Seras, not before she had her fun with her. Instead, Darcia simply threw her out of the room. Seras slammed her head against a wall. Quickly getting back on her feet, she tried to locate Darcia, a hard task since her vision was blurry from the impact. Darcia had sneeked into the corridor while Seras gained a grip on herself, and, as if able to project massed wind, threw her further inside the theatre. Rolling through the ground, Seras found it was time to use her M-16. Desperate times… And besides, every vampire must've known by now she was there. Reaching for her back, she drew the weapon, and remained proned, waiting Darcia to come close enough. It was a surprise to her when she saw her crawling on the ceiling. That didn't stop Seras from shooting a volley at her. The bullets didn't get past Darcia's shield. Seras was in big trouble. Making a run for the backstage was her only choice. She couldn't retreat, not with Darcia standing in the path. So she ran.

Darcia lauched her strings again. This time, and thanks to vampiric sight and agility, Seras managed to dodge most of the strings, jumping forward, spinning around herself in mid air and rolling on the ground as she landed. Though one of the strings cut her weapon in half. Cursing herself, she threw away the broken gun. Darcia didn't chase her. She knew the trouble Seras was going to get into. Relieved to have survived the encounter, she ran faster than ever towards the back stage. She could see some of the props in the distance already. Just as she was about to enter it, she stopped. "_Why did that girl allow me to get here? Certainly not out of pity! I better be careful, it might be a trap. Just a few minutes ago FREAKs were goofing around here._". She carefully entered the room. It was filled with props and all kinds of costumes, some of which had been used very recently. Seras looked for Alucard's body up in the ceiling. It wasn't there anymore. Beginning to despair, she walked towards the proscenium. She wouldn't leave without her Master's body. Looking under the curtain, Seras noticed that Letice's prop throne had vanished, and was replaced with a coffin instead. Crawling out into the stage, she found where the FREAKs had moved Alucard. Not to her surprise, it stood inside the large coffin. Seras was now sure it was a trap. Looking around, she saw nothing besides empty seats encircling the stage in front and on the balconies. There wasn't anything else to do. She walked up to the coffin with a stern look on her face. Just as she grabbed Alucard's body (and nearly fell for it's weight), she was blindfolded by stage lights pointed at her. Out of nowhere, the whole of Damphir's vampires appeared on the seats. "What have we here?", a sweet female voice behind Seras spoke. "A fledgling searching for her master's pieces? I must admit, it's a very courageous act to enter your enemies' lair to bring back your fallen leader's corpse. Yet bravery and stupidity are so much alike, I'm not sure which has compelled you to doing so." It was Letice. She was only a head's height taller than Seras, yet she felt smashed by her presence. The FREAKs laughed at Seras' frightened look. "You don't have to worry about me. I won't hurt you. Not for the moment." Letice floated off the stage and into one of the private loges. "I'll just sit back and enjoy the show." The stage's trapdoors opened, and ghouls climbed out onto the floor.

Seras was surrounded by the hungry-looking ghouls. They advanced on her in unisson, likely being controlled by their master, intent on appreciating the show to its fullest. A ghoul to her right grabbed her shoulder and tried to deliver a bite. Seras simply elbowed it on the face. That was enough to send its head rolling. The FREAKs shouted and whistled in delight. Another jumped for her legs.  She jumped back, and was about to crush its head before she was grabbed by many arms. Cooperating, the ghouls knocked her down. She was at the ghouls' mercy (which they didn't have). Their teeth pierced Seras' flesh. The audience was utterly carried away. Her mind raced, but still, nothing useful for dealing with the situation came out. Seras had sometimes wondered how her second death would come, being a subordinate of Hellsing and watching death on a daily basis. On the bottom of her list was being cannibalized by ghouls. She felt into a semi-conscious state. "_A vampire, defeated by a mob of ghouls… Master, you'd be ashamed of me…Master, Alucard…ALUCARD!_" She woke up. Anger revitalized her numb muscles, and her sullen face now had a berserk look. Her pupils had shrunk to the point of resembling a pair of strait lines. Seras ripped out the leg of a nearby ghoul with a bite. It felt, losing its grip on her. Rolling backwards, and dragging a few ghouls with her, she got back on her feet. Opeating at a demi-conscious level, she reached her blessed knife, and charged her enemies. Her lightning fast blows made short work of the ghouls in no time. Just as she regained consciousness, she examined her doing. Seras had singled-handedly butchered (in the literal sense) her foes, so that there didn't seem to be one that hadn't been torn in pieces. Severed members redecorated the stage. The FREAKs eyed each other nervously. No one seemed willing to finish her off. Ackowleding that, Letice shook her head. "My brave servants… Well, Darcia my sweet, it seems you get the honour of this combat." Darcia jumped from where the stage lights stood, landing gracefully in her master's balcony and bowing before her. "I shall not fail you, my Master." Darcia's words echoed in Seras' thoughts.

Darcia fiddled with her gloves, surely preparing her favoured weapon. Seras stood in a defencive stance, staring defiantly at her. Though inside she was in turmoil. How could she defeat such a foe? When she was in her best shape, she had failed miserably. And now she was exhausted. "You can't defeat me, you know that. I'm a much more powerful creature than you. Someone that refuses to drink human blood can't stand her ground against a true undead." Darcia taunted. Seras' heart wavered for a moment. Her enemy was indeed formidable. "_But I can't just leave Master like that…_" It was an encouraging thought, and her fear began to dissolve. "Do your worse, Jester-Girl." Seras counter-taunted, grinning. Darcia attacked. By the abrupt way Darcia threw her strings, it was obvious that she'd been angered by Seras' taunting. Such things happen when you're used to be feared and not fear. The brutal force which she applied had a reverse effect, though, as her strings were slower than before. Seras saw an opening to her right, and quickly avoided the waves of murderous strings. She was about one meter away from Darcia, not close enough to attack, but close enough to disarm her. With a left to right swing of her blade, Darcia's left hand strings were cut short. Spinning around herself, Seras advanced for the killer move. Her powerful strike was blocked by a reddish power shield. Darcia jumped back, and used her telekinetic abilities so send a wave of dust against Seras' eyes. She then whiped her remaining strings at Seras, who was cleaning her eyes as fast as possible. Instinctively, she jumped back, avoiding the attack but still being slightly cut by a stray string in the right arm. The smell of blood seemed to excite Darcia, who used her strings again, this time attacking with a stabbing motion. The strings' sharp tips were very close to each other, and making their way towards Seras' throat. With her sight unhindered, she watched the attack, and simply dodged right. Underneath her mask, Darcia smiled. Waving her hand in Seras' direction, and opening her fingers at full extent, she caused her strings to slash in five different directions. The pinky string cut through the floor, the thumb one broke the support of a stage light, that fell where Seras stood at the attack's beginning, but the other three were aimed at her neck, abdomen and legs. In a split second decision, Seras crouched and waved her blade in an upward slash, cutting two of the three strings to about 3/4 of their length. The other passed harmlessly above her. Darcia, who was getting a bit nervous, closed back her hand. The remaining intact strings came closer together, and would've cut Seras in half had she not dodged left. Beginning to feel a glimmer of hope, she ran as fast as she could, spinning her blade and hacking Darcia's weapon into pieces as she came closer to the – now wavering - vampiress.

Darcia knew that she could not fight her opponent hand to hand. She'd have to resort to her powers. Just as Seras was about to decapitate her, Darcia felt back, and telekinatically dragged her. When Seras was about to fall on top of her, she sent her flying to the roof with a "massed wind" projection. Seras, admirably keeping her cool, simply "landed" on the roof, and darted towards the stagelights. That broken light had given her an idea… On her way towards them, however, something fired a gun at her. Armed ghouls were controlling the lights. Just as well. They weren't silver bullets, and the ghouls weren't too accurate. Landing on the support with only a few bruises, she gutted them, and threw their remains into Letice's loge, intent on provoking Darcia into doing something stupid as jumping to get her. Which she did. "_Your bad-temper will be your downfall…_" Seras waited for the right moment, and just when her enemy was more than halfway away, she sliced another light's support and kicked the light against Darcia. Her shield wasn't enough to block the object falling on top of her, and she felt back, smashed by the heavy thing. The wooden stage gave in to the weight, and Darcia sunk into whatever was under it. Unwilling to waste any more time there, Seras jumped back to the stage, grabbed her Master's body and ran back to where she came from, leaving behind a disgruntled Letice and a mob of FREAKs now quite willing to finish her off. It was better, after all, to face uncertain death fighting Seras than certain staying close to their leader.

She was being slowed down by Alucard's slim, yet tall and heavy, body, and as such the vampires steadily gained on her as she ran through the corridor.  Just near the exit she was caught by a pair of FREAKs. Seras pretended submisson, and stabbed one in the heart with a quick thrust of her knife when he least expected. The other, armed with a prop (but sharp nonetheless) spear, jumped back and then forward, attempting to impale her. Seras deflected the spear's edge downwards, so it sank in the floor. Unnarmed, the FREAK looked at her with a terrified face, and ran back screaming. With a small grin, Seras grabbed her Master back and ran to her bike. Now, there was a "small" problem. Alucard's body might fall from the bike at any time. As she heard other vampires gaining on her, she had no choice but to improvise. Sitting her Master on the bike, she stabbed one of his legs, deep enough to pierce through the bike's plate, nailing him to it. "_Master's gonna kill me…_". Placing his arms around her, she turned on the bike and drove as fast as mechanically possible back to the Hellsing mansion.

"_That was a close one!_". Seras dragged Alucard's heavy frame across the hallways, attracting unbelieving looks from the occasional mercenary she happened to pass by. "I'm not payed enough for this shit…", a few mumbled. Alucard's room was still a bit far, and she felt her strength failing her. "_Just a bit longer…_". She made it to the dungeons, Alucard's room was in the far end of Demon's Road. "_Just a bit longer…_". Dragging herself, she opened the door. Alucard's room was amazing. The brick dungeon walls had been painted dark red, and were decorated by a few century-old paintings of nobles, one of them being of Alucard's former self, back when he was a human. He had confided Seras once that he had stolen the original for himself from a museum not so long ago, and forced an artist to make a copy of it. A beautiful 19th century oak desk stood in the middle, with an open bottle of red whine on top. Alucard enjoyed his sip now and then. On a corner stood his bed. 6.5 by 3 feet in length, covered with white velvety sheets inside, partially hidden by a black cotton bed cover. Surprisingly, there were two pillows at the head. Thick black wool curtains around it protected the sleeping vampire from whatever daylight might breach the room. Seras would've been surprised if it weren't for two things. One, she was about to faint from exhaustion, and two, she'd been there many times training her abilities with Alucard. Placing him on the bed, where his head stood as well, Seras finally allowed herself to faint.

_Alucard's mind drifted through his own unconsciousness. Vampires his level don't need to use their brain to think. In fact, everything related to the mind can be achieved without requiring a frame to operate. But without it, he couldn't acknowledge the world around him. He felt himself separated in pieces, and only if they were restored could he return. With nothing else to do, he recalled the major events of his life. The adolescence spent as a prisoner from the Turks, his father and brother's assassination by political enemies, the brutal laws he had to lay down, his first wife's death, who he loved most, his battles against the Turks… All passed before his mind. And that fateful night in the forest north of Bucharest… **Barasab Laiota…**_

Next Chapter: Undercover ops! Seras snatches Alucard's heart from the Nosferatu clan! R&R please!


	3. Heartfelt Memories

'Fore we start:

Sorry about taking so long… writter's block… bleep!!!! I've tried to make it up for you, though, my dear fans!

#%%&%&/%- name of a famous computer corporation. Man, I hate bugs! :-D

Janissary – Elite Turkish soldier. Often equipped with the latest in military gear.

That was the hard part. Now, to get on with things:

Vlad watched the Sultan putting the moves on his younger brother Radu with disgust. Only two weeks had passed since he was sent from Egregoz fortress to Adrianople's imperial palace and already his brother had fallen in the graces of Sultan Murad. Where he ever to escape the "golden cage" as he called it and rule Wallachia he'd forbid sodomy. While the Sultan and his brother were making a demonstration of "good-will" between two sworen enemies, he spent his days alone, hiding from the palace's eunucs, that seemingly mistook his tastes for those of his brother. He read the days away in the library, learning about alchemy and herbal medicine, as well as learning the land's ancient tales. And he became a very proficient trickster as well. Vlad wondered which sort of mischief he'd concoct today. Sure, it was always fun to convince the daft palace guard to lend him a eunuc uniform so that he could enter the harem unsuspected, or even a scimitar, and practice fine cuts on Radu's pets (man, he enjoyed their squealing), but these jokes were getting old, and the Sultan was getting suspicious of being the causer of the wave of unruliness plaguing the palace. So he had to think... Something that might as well happen without his "aid" and that would ashame the Sultan... How about... Yesssss, perfect. It WAS the mating season after all. And the diplomats from Persia that had arrived a few days ago would witness it as well. He was a genius.

The Sultan fiercely debated with the Persians. They terminantly refused to pay tribute to the Ottoman empire, and were in condition of offering strong armed resistance should the negotiations fail. The Sultan, however, knew that, despite their strength, the Persians simply wouldn't withstand a Turkish attack. He was in conditions of making an ultimatum, and so he did. Either they would pay tribute to him or return home weary of the Turkish empire's might. Just as he said this last line, a pair of camels broke in unninvited. A male and a female, wearing plaques with something inscribed in a language other than arab. As if it wasn't enough, the camels decided it would be fun to examplify the fine and difficult art of producing new mounts for needing travelers before the courts' unbelieving eyes and the Persian diplomats, who had the laugh of their lives. Someone had "fixed" them with aphrodisiacs, that much was clear. As the Sultan commanded that they be separated, Vlad hid behind a pillar, smilling pervertly. Just a bit longer... The guards fufilled the Sultan's desire, but were in turn attacked by the now gone berserk camels, who didn't enjoy the least bit such disrespect for their duties. So, the poor things were killed right where they stood. Only then did someone in the court notice the plaques hanging in their necks. It was written in latin. Radu, the Sultan's favourite translator, was asked to read loud enough what was written in the plaques so that everyone in the room could hear it. When he read the contents to himself, Radu blushed, and informed the Sultan it might not be such a good idea, who was very close to have him crucified as an example to those who dishobey his orders. So Radu was left with no other choice. The male plaque said, "Hi, I'm Radu" and the female one said "And I'm Sultan Murad. We're a pair of fornicators!". The Sultan had a fit. The court tried very hard not to explode. The diplomats were aware of the Turkish "might". And a certain young man rubbed his hands with glee.

Seras woke up. She recalled having fainted due to exhaustion. And she happened to have slept in her Master's bed. Not that it mattered, but if Alucard knew, he'd become unbearable until the end of days. Shaking her head, Seras looked for something with which to quench her thirst. Usually, her Master had a few bottles of blood and wine stashed in his closit, only refilling it when there was nothing at all to drink. And his defeat came in the same night he'd restock "Drunkard's Timber", as he called it. So, since there was only the bottle of whine over the desk, Seras would have to go all the way to the fridge. "_Teleportation would really come in handy now…_".

On her way to the kitchen, a mercenary intently pushed her. "Why did you do that?", Seras demanded. "The vampire chick has a pride, how endearing. Vant to suck my blood?". Seras was very close to doing so. She, after all, could use some fresh blood, rather than the week-old crappy blood donations she rationed. But standarts came first. So she merely scolded him. "I hope you're aware you're speaking to your captain and employer. For your act of insubordinance, you'll be joining the ammunition suppliers' defence team for a week." It wasn't a dangerous post, she managed to spread misinformation skillfully enough to keep its location secret. But the nights were long and cold, and spending time fiddling inside the mansion was better than a night's watch, being constantly looking out for ghouls. "Whatever…", the mercenary replied. They didn't respect her at all.

Not caring that the fridge was quickly running out of blood, Seras drank two packs, barely pausing to breathe between one and the other. Anger made her thirsty. "_How dare he talk to me like that! Stupid mortal… I ought to cut his filthy tongue out…What am I thinking?_",  just what she needed to begin the night. An argument between her human and vampire sides. "_There's no need for such violence, right? But… mercenaries should know their place… Alucard would kill him right on the spot… But I'm not like Master. But you should, Seras! Remember what he told you, follow the darkness with all your strength. That's the only way you'll gain your Master's affection…_". Seras awoke from her monologue. Gain her Master's affection? She looked at the empty blood bags. Alucard would really be surprised: she'd drank her blood without hesitation or regret. She didn't even feel sick. Only… renewed. And in a better mood as well.

She made her way towards her office, or Integra's old office, depending on the point of view. It was as messy as the rest of the mansion. Or even worse, since it was the epicentre of the battle. Integra had put up a fight before the Iscariots defeated her, and Alucard completed the task, wrecking windows and shattering the front door, turning the office's entrance into a hole. Her laptop survived the battle, many thanks to #%%&%&/%'s engineers, who truly built an indestructible computer. Sitting on the chair, she turned it on. Its screen flickered before showing the usual statistics on processor speed and RAM available. Being the fast computer it was, the OS initiated in no time. An icon flashed, indicating the Institution had received mail. It was from Section XIII, and the topic was "You're ours, Hellsing!!!". Seras didn't bother checking it out. Instead, she opened a 3D model of Buckingham Palace, courtesy of MI-5. Nosferatu's vamps had made it their home, rather predictable since evil No Life Kings nowadays enjoy to show off (OK, not only evil ones!). She tried to imagine where a smart commander would put his guards, and came to a conclusion: She couldn't enter it like she had done in the theatre. There were strong FREAKs there, some even stronger than her. Their sences were honed, and not one entrance seemed left unguarded. Of course she could resort to treachery…

_Vlad the II Dracula sat alone in his throne."**Those bastards.** **They'd rather have puppet leaders than a true king. Cowering on their palaces, not men enough to stand up to the Turks…**", he whispered to himself, trying to hold back the tears. It had been eight years since he returned from Turkey. The nobility of Tirgoviste had plotted his father's assassination and buried his older brother Mircea alive. He returned only to find he was unwanted. So he had no choice but to play stupid political games until he was king at last. His type of rule didn't quite fit their interests, who'd rather side with the Turks, paying them tribute in men and gold. Vlad was set on stopping it all. But before that, he'd have to get rid of those pests, who'd depose him of power as easily as they'd granted it. And he knew just the way._

Vlad had organized a grand Easter feast, supposely to comemorate his father's convertion to the Catholic branch of Christianism. The food and wine served were of finest quality, and he had even hired Italian musicians, a small extravagance that nearly emptied his coffers, but it was worth it. The nobles had to think this was a demonstration of good-will. Not for once did they doubt his intentions. The guests ate like lions and drank like fish, and soon there was no more food left. Vlad, who had been silent all along, finally made his move. "**My friends. It seems my food and whine are not enough to sat your appetites. Even my minstrels have run out of inspiration.**", he pointed to the bored Italians, who were indeed playing the same musics for about half the feast (classic music was taking it's first steps, after all). "**Would you like to continue our party elsewhere, where wour presence is sure to  delight me?**", he asked. The nobles slammed their fists against the table and shouted aloud his name. Vlad smiled. "**Guards. Send them to my fortress at Poenari.**" The startled nobles found themselves surrounded by armed soldiers, who shoved and  pushed and kicked them out of the room.

On arrival, there was nothing more than a half-built fortress. Vlad smiled diabolically at them. "**This will be your new home. None shall leave this land, let alone this world, until my fortress is finished. And when will that be, you ask yourselves? Well, that'll be the faster you get it done.**" He ignored their cries for mercy, that were music to his ears. "**Tell the workers to return to their families.**", he commanded one of the guards. He watched as once proud men replaced the ragged workers, who spat on them as they came close. This was indeed a glorious day. "**Men, we make way back to Tirgoviste. We'll be escorting these people.**" First came first.

Hearing of his fortress' completion, Vlad returned to Poenari. Less than half had survived the harsh climate, the working accidents and the taskmaster's cruelty. He laughed out loud. "**So, you sons of a mangy goat, you are all that remained of my detractors? Since I'm a kind man, I'll let you leave my realm.**" He grinned at their relieved expressions. "**You'll travel to a place where only pain awaits you… Guards! Impale them!**" The guards rushed on them, tying their arms and legs to horses, and stabbing mansized wooden stakes through their backsides. It was a macabre simphony, indeed, to hear their squeals of pain as the wood opened way across their organs, finally emerging out of their mouths. They still waved their arms as they hang on the stakes planted on the ground. Their death wouldn't come easily. Vlad looked up to the night sky. A full, reddish moon crowned the firmament. "**It's a beautiful night.**"

Seras looked at herself in the mirror. She had put to use brown hair dye stolen from the market a few weeks ago, and put yellow contact lenses. Even keeping a low profile, a few vamps had seen her already. All she needed to do was to convince the palace guards that she'd been turn into Nosferatu by whoever was behind the FREAKs existence. Hopefully, their leader kept Alucard's heart near him. There had to be some sort of initiation process in the clans, there always was, at least her Master said so. Though a vampire clan bent on rulling the UK was a wee different from the "Romenian Vampire Football Club", her Master's failed attempt at tricking Hellsing's restrictions on blood drinking. There weren't many vampires in Romenia, anyway. Besides, it was impossible to be a vampire hunter AND the president of a vampire football club. It was a silly idea produced by too many blood packs added with Alucard's natural deranged mind.

(Ah, yes, the ritual! Simple enough, one would just cut his wrist and let Alucard drink for a bit. Then, if the candidate had potential, he'd be given a position in the team, based on the blood's taste. Alucard claimed that by having slurped a few football players he knew everything about football. Real clans had more complex rituals, of course, like slaying a black chicken and painting pentagrams in circles with the animal's blood. Or even paint the said pentagram's with the actual candidate's blood.)

Thinking that it might be a good idea to use seduction, Seras decided to "borrow" one of Integra's dresses. Most of them had never been worn. Dressing a black frock, Seras tried to figure out where to hide a pistol in case things got awry. There weren't many places to hide it, though. Her generous curves didn't really help. Elegance would have to come later, it seemed. And her teen clothes were still fitting. So she put on her boots, red top, short skirt and long red gloves, that went all the way from her wrists to nearly her shoulders. She looked at herself in the mirror again. "_Looking good._" Integra's pistol, a nifty and powerful firearm that shot 3 rounds at a time, was carefully hidden at her waist. Just in case.

On the way out, a few mercs whispered comments she didn't even bother to try and listen. Seras was experienced at not giving a damn about jerks like them. This time, she didn't bother to tell them what she was going to do. Outside, she rode out once again on her trusted bike, kind of hoping she didn't have to hook a large object like last time. It was a night in town pretty much the same like last time. Ragged men and women hid in the post-modern ruins of London, not one single audible whisper, some FREAKs from Tetsubo… spanked an old man? Seras couldn't stand for this. Jumping of her bike, she walked up to them. "So, do you have any plausible reason to spank that defenceless old man?", she inquired. The FREAKs, dressed as either cheesy, low-class neighbourhood rappers or pseudo-satanists simply looked at her with delighted expressions. Seras grinned. Her disguise was working.

_Vlad Dracula rode hard in the night sky, accompanied by his many horsemen. The infantry barely kept up with them, weighted down by their weapons. Turks had besieged his fortress at Poenari, and were very close to breaching its defences. He had been busy making the path as hard as possible for the second Turkish army, as if the siege force and the reinforcements joined forces, he'd have no hope of even defeating the Turks. "_**Dammit! How did they get here this fast?**_", he thought, as he readied himself to charge . "**Almost there, men! Prepare yourselves to charge on those infidel dogs!**" _

_The Turkish Janissaries ahead formed a line, preparing to shoot a volley at the charging horsemen. The knights' heart wavered for a moment, but kept steady. And the Turks opened fire.  After the deafening roar of gunfire, there came the sound of steel piercing through steel as the bullets perforated the knights' armour. Some of the lesser trained horses, scared by the gunfire, stood in their hind legs, trying to hit with their hooves an invisible foe. And many were shot in the second volley. Vlad had remained miraculously intact at the head of his cavalry. The Turkish light cavalry interposed between the Wallachians and the Janissaries, but their light armour, bows and sabres weren't enough to withstand the steel armour, lances and swords of their rivals. Vlad took one off from his horse with his lance, who hung in its pointy tip for a few seconds,  and stabbed into unto the mount of another, losing his grip. He drew his sword, and engaged any foe that he could one on one._

_His fighting prowess, and that of his knights, let them be victorious over the light horsemen, and they continued their charge against the Janissaries, that fired another volley against them. That'd be their last. They were only a few metres from the knights, who fell on the just as they were about to fire once again. Some did, and a pair of knights felt. But the others delivered righteous death, trampling them with horse and cutting heads with sword. But it was a ruse. Behind the first two lines, spearmen stood ready for this event, and counter attacked. The knights were dumbfounded at their attack, and barely fought back the wave of Turkish steel spears. Vlad's horse was impalled, and he barely had time to jump off before it fell. Keeping in guard, he deflected the thrust of a foe, and cut off his head. And so, he found himself a spear. Sheathing back his sword, he fought the Jannissaries with their own weapon._

_In the meantime, his infantry was about to reach him. But while the knights fought and the men ran, Turkish bombards had been set to fire on them. The thundering of cannon was heard through the battlefield, and moments later iron balls showered on the infantrymen, tearing the unlucky into pieces and making craters on the ground. Some of the men fled, not willing to waste their lives. When the infantrymen finally joined the melee, most of the knights had been whiped out, and Vlad kept fighting the other spearmen. The fight drew on and on, and the Turks eventually lost taste for battle, even though they were greater in numbers than the Wallachians, that fought desperately. It'd be wiser to join the other army and come back to mop them all up._

_Vlad, whose face was between smile and exhaustion, let out a battlecry, echoed by what remained of his forces. Grabbing for himself a lonely horse, whose owner had likely fallen in battle, he rode to the front gates of the battered fortress. The Turks hadn't been kind, and used their bombards against the walls on more than one occasion. "**I am Vlad the II Dracula, Ruler of Wallachia, and master of this fortress. I command you to open the gates for me, Castellan Grga.**" Vlad shouted to the gates. Almost a minute passed before the gates were open. Inside, it was in no better shape. The structures had been so badly damaged it was impossible to figure out what they were once meant for. Rotting bodies of Turks and Wallachians spread out across the streets and alleys, likely victims of an assault. The people that had taken refuge there had lived in fear for the siege's duration. Which was not that long thanks to Vlad's timely intervention. They cried of happiness as he arrived, their hero and king, Vlad the II Dracula. _

_Vlad rode to his keep on the fortress' centre. There, castellan Grga waited him with a forlon expression. "**Why are you looking so sad, friend Grga? I've reppeled our foes for the moment. Even if it's too soon to shout victory, we could allow ourselves to relax for the night.**" Grga shifted. It would be a tough new for him. "**My Lord,**" Grga said "**When the Turks assaulted our fortress, your wife was inside a watch tower, tending for the morale of our defendants. Her kindness was what kept them going for the siege…**" Vlad felt aprehension blooming in his chest. "**What are you saying man? Tell me what happened to her!!**" Grga closed his eyes for a moment, as if stopping tears that insisted on being shed. "**One of their archers fired an arrow, and it managed to enter the watchtower. It carried a message, saying you were dead and demanding our surrender. Lady Larisa couldn't bear the thought of your death… And so she threw herself from the tower…**"_

_Vlad's eyes opened wide, and a familiar feeling mixed of sadness and disbelief shot across him. He ran into the keep, trying to find Larisa's body somewhere in the rooms. And he found her where she could only be, their bedroom. The weeping maids had dressed her in an elaborate white dress, and covered her face with a veil. Vlad walked to her, slown down by his pain and exhaustion. "_**_Leave… me alone._**_" He nearly said "us". The maids did has he pleased. Vlad lifted her veil, and passed his hand across her pale cheeks, feeling cold to the touch. Her neck twisted into an impossible angle when he sat on the bed and wrapped her in his arms, lifting her. Vlad wept silently. And that was what he did for the whole night._

The shattered corpses of the FREAKs made for a grim landscape indeed. They thought of Seras as weak, and as such were even more innept than usual. The old man looked not too grateful, what didn't stop her from helping him up. He simply slapped her hand and crumbled back to his feet, mumbling angrily something about cannibal vampire harlots. Seras controlled her anger with a great deal of effort. Still grinding her teeth, she got back on her motorcycle and resumed her trip to the palace.

Seras parked a block away from the gates. She didn't want the FREAKs outside to be suspicious. There were only two of them, dressing like true palace guards, looking more than a bit upset at using those "noble" uniforms. They were some of the ugliest FREAKs she had ever known. Their looks changed quickly from boredom to interest when Seras came to greet them. "Hi, I was told this is Nosferatu's base. Your, I mean, our leader told me to meet him inside."

"Well, what's your name?", the left FREAK asked, buying time to keep her within his sight as long as possible. Seras gave him a killer look. "Se-bile.", she replied. "Ok, miss Sebile, Master Laiota should be waiting for you. It's strange, tonight he decided to throw in a party. Because of you, perhaps?", the right one gave her a dirty look. Seras simply walked past him. "_Sebile? Of all the names…_" The palace's façade was marvellously well-kept, in comparison with the rest of the city. Only a few ghouls dragging themselves around ruined what would otherwise be a beautiful sight. Seras walked faster to the entrance, unsure about the ghouls' intentions and trying to escape the guards' peeking eyes.

Inside the palace, festivities took place. Female ghouls dressed as waitresses carried crystal glasses of blood and champagne around, serving the FREAKs dressed for the occasion, whatever it was. Seras just walked around, trying to pass unnoticed, a bit clueless about what to do next. The FREAKs seemed to know each other very well, and, despite being almost as revolting as those two at the entrance, seemed far smarter. Seras, truth be told, was completely out of context. She was a cute girl in any part of the world, that much was clear, but in there it was more than fair to assume that she was the most beautiful woman. All the others were  dressed as if they were blind, hired a pshycothic plastic surgeon and allowed their pet monkeys to fiddle with their hair. One or two shot her green-eyes, and whispered something about implants.

Seras heard classic music in the background, and traced it to the music hall, where the vampires made a sad excuse for a ball. Not only they played their instruments bad, their dancing skills were far bellow any dancer she had met. She put a hand in front of her face to hide her disdaining smile. And didn't notice a man coming her way. "Are you the new girl?", he asked. Seras let out a small yell, that atracted the bystander's attention, and abruptly turned back. "Y-yes, that would be me!" He was about 1.78 m, with light blue hair and snakish yellow eyes. He was the most handsome man in there, whose pale, apparently 20-30 year old features betrayed his Italian origin. "Our master would like to meet you. If you don't mind, I'll guide you to his chambers." Her heart wavered for a moment. If Laiota, if that was his name, recognized her, unlikely but possible, she would be in big trouble.But then again, he might keep Alucard's heart near him. She smiled to her guide and nodded.

"So, what's your name?", she asked, trying to keep up with his fast pace. "Giovanni de Marco, from Napoli. Naples, as you English call it.", he added, with a small hint of despise that did not come oblivious to Seras. Otherwise, his voice was calm and musical, and it was as if he could tame a demon with his words. "And you would be?", he looked back, still walking. "Sebile Victoria, from London. I'm sorry, but I don't know how you Italians call it.", she replied. They walked up a staircase.

"Feisty, are you, miss Victoria? Well, I'd advice you to keep a cool head when speaking to our master. He's a bit… susceptible,  if you know what I mean."

"Don't worry, I'm used to taking abuse from my… ex-boss." Seras almost pronounced her Master's name. They were now walking through a long, candle-lit  corridor that lead to many rooms.

"So, how long have you been a vampire?", she asked.

"For 68 years now. Fought in the 2nd World War alongside the SS. That was when I was turned. There were a few like us at the SS, back then. Hitler's elite force."

"You mean, FREAKs?"

"Yes, FREAKs."

"FREAK chips have been produced since then?" Seras thought she was on to something here. A riddled Giovanni stared at her. "Didn't they instruct you when you were turned?"

"Uh, yeah, I forgot, eheh!…" It wouldn't be smart to let her mask slip just then. "So," -she hastily changed the subject- " what are we celebrating?"

"Our master's anniversary as former ruler of Wallachia. He's over 500 year old, you know? Back in his human life, he was a Romenian nobleman aspirirng for the throne. And he got it, even though he only reigned for a pair of decades."

"What's he like?" It was a useless question, she'd seen him before, but she needed to fake interest.

"Ugly as a goat, and as bad-tempered as an insomniac dragon." He thought his choice of words bad, and followed up. "Don't tell him I told you that, Ok?"

Seras giggled. "Told what? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Thank you, Sebile of London." He looked to a nearby door. "Looks like we've arrived. I bid you farewell, dear."

Giovanni went back downstairs. Seras looked wearily at the closed door. "_This is it. Time to get Master's heart._" She knocked on the door. "Who in hell is it?", a rough male voice spoke from inside the room. "Uhm, the new girl?", Seras replied. "New girl? Argh, no one tells me shit. Come in, and let's get the ritual done with." She entered the small room, which was an incredible contrast with the festive palace. The walls had been painted black, and the only source of light were five braziers, each on top of the edge of a white pentagon carved on the floor. Pillars could be seen on the sides, with carvings of snakes. On the far end sat Laiota in an vernished oak chair. Ugly as a goat was almost a litteral description for him. His eyes were small and pitch black, making for the appearance of inexistent pupils. The only thing resembling body hair (or hair, for that matter) was pasty black beard on his chin. His skin was greyish green, and somewhat scaly on the cheeks. Overall, it seemed like someone had put a tight horror mask on a skull. He dressed in a black robe, making him look like a medieval monk. Laiota rose (he was even taller than Alucard, and just as skinny), and walked towards Seras.

"So, they sent me a pretty one for a change. Once we get this over with, I might just make you my new concubine. That tongueless cunt over there's far too old for me." He pointed to a sad looking blonde woman behind his chair. Her features were fair, to say the least. She wore a much more tasteful white dress than the other women downstairs, matching perfectly with her long hair. She looked about 20 year old. While Seras was admiring the woman's features, Laiota had walked all the way to her. "Yes, can't wait for that…", he said, roughly grabbing her face. His fingernails were long, black and dirty, and hurt when pressed against her cheeks. He smiled at her disgusted face, and threw her to the centre of the pentagon . "Let the ritual begin."

He walked to about two paces from Seras, and rose his arms, singing something in a language long forgotten. The pentagon began to shine faintly. A great red eye appeared in Laiota's chest, much like what happened to Alucard. Seras began to levitate a few inches from the ground against her will, being drawn to the leader of Nosferatu. Using his sharp fingernails, he made a small cut in both their throats. "Our saliva makes sure the bleeding doesn't stop. More than a cut like this would be a waste of effort." Laiota forced Seras to drink his blood, pushing her head to his throat. "Drink…" She swallowed as quickly as possible, his blood tasted bitter and that was more than enough reason not to have it in contact with her tongue for longer than necessary. "Don't go into bloodlust, now…" Laiota taunted.

He pulled her head back. "Now it's my turn to drink." Laiota sucked at her throat frantically. It almost looked like he had been starving for a long time now. Her blood was delicious… but… it wasn't only her blood that ran through her veins… Another blood… a strong rich blood… A taste he knew already. He threw Seras across the room, and she slammed her back against one of the pillars. "You… you're HIS fledgling!? Tepes still lives… After all this time?" Seras drew her semi-automatic, and shot a whole magazine of silver bullets (12) at Laiota, looking around for Alucard's heart. He growled in pain when the bullets made contact, but wasn't otherwise harmed. The blonde woman ran towards Seras, looking almost as bloodthirsty as her Master, all her solemn beauty lost as she shrieked while running, showing off the remains of her severed tongue. And carrying a piece of flesh in her claws… A heart!

Seras reloaded her gun with lighting speed. Just as the mad blonde stood but a few inches from her, she shot a volley at her. Only one bullet hit its target. Fortunately for Seras, it hit the arm with which she was holding Alucard's heart. As soon as she let go, walking a few steps back in agony, Seras dived, grabbing the heart for herself. "_Now, how do I get out????_" The most important part of the plan was the most flawed. She didn't even think about how to escape when she elaborated her 'plan'… In the meanwhile, Laiota had regenerated his wounds. His shadow seemed to fill the room, and he hissed as he walked towards Seras. "Give that back… I need it for a spell."

"_Like I'll do that after all this work…_" Laiota heard her thoughts (telepathy can be a real… hot-blooded woman at times), and the shadows behind her began to assume physical form, shaping themselves to a pair of Laiota clones. The clones reached for her wrists… A daft thing, since she was once a police officer. Seras brought  the hands to near her belt, walked a few steps forward, and spun 180º around herself, rising her arms in the process… and so, the clones went slamming into each other, and subsequently letting go of her (believe me, I know what I'm talking about).

FREAKs had begun swarming into the room. "_No chance of getting out through the front door now…_" The world seemed to move slowly for Seras as she tried to think of what to do… She tried to recall the schematics of the palace, and figured out in what division she was in…Small, four pillars… That's it! She turned to the wall parallel to the front door, and ran as fast as she could… and dove against the wall, passing through it, landing as a rock on a bushy garden below.

Cleaning herself of leaves, she got back up, to find she had hurt her knee. Great, now Seras had to trip her way out… and best of all, ghouls were stalking around, under the large bushes. She could smell them. Holding her gun with two hands, she pointed around, trying to find a nearby target. Nothing. So, she walked as fast as she could to the gates… And now, a small question for the readers: if she's holding her gun with two hands, and has no pockets large enough to carry a human heart, where did she put Alucard's vital organ? That's right, she dropped it on the way down.Cursing herself for the hundreth time that night, she started fishing around in the bushes. Seras shoved the leaves and twigs from her sight with her hands, trying to look for the heart. She did it once, twice, thrice, and eventually… A mob of ghouls plunged at her. Jumping back (and falling on her back), she shot at the many ghouls, tearing them into pieces with each volley. Unfortunately for her, Integra's weapon didn't have many bullets per round, and she ran out of ammo fast. A ghoul attacked her, attempting to bite her throat, only to be punched out of his jaws. The others attacked her as well, and she resorted to her fists and feet to deal with them.

But for every ghoul that was killed, two would pop out of the bushes. Seras couldn't stay there any longer. Probably the FREAKs were heading to the garden already, judging by the time she had burned away there. Running (or tripping) a few steps away from the ghouls, she tried to remember any advice her Master gave her in those three years that'd fit well in this situation… "**Policewoman, when are you going to start drinking human blood? For the last time, leave your human past behind. Act like one, and you'll end up like one. Give in to the darkness, walk the night as its child, follow in the trail of blood…**" The trail of blood!!! His heart still smelled like his blood! Trying to sniff out the heart amid the industrial amounts of undead flesh that had been minced off, she sensed the peculiar smell of Alucard's blood coming from a bush… behind the ghouls…

Sighing (she had passed from stress to plain frustration in a matter of seconds, be amazed!), she took the long road, walking as fast as she could around the mob of Ghouls, that tried to grab her a few times, and suffering the consequences on the spot. Some still managed to bite her on the arms, and have their teeth instantly socked out. The exhausted Seras finally got to the bush, and instead of just fishing around with her hand, fell headfirst on in, and grabbed the heart with her mouth… kind of hoping her Master didn't have cardiac problems because of the fangs that kept wanting to pierce it. Following her instincts, she hurried to the closest wall, sensing it'd be the exit nearest to her bike. A Ghoul managed to grab her handicapped leg, and she nearly fell. Seras gave it a push, and released herself of its grasp… But not before others tried to do the same.

She would be outrunned if she kept just avoiding them. The Ghouls seemed faster than usual, as if someone had made them more powerful. She lost her temper, dropped Alucard's heart, and, with her pupils shrinking to the shape of two thin vertical lines, jumped on the Ghouls, completely ignoring her injured foot. She ripped out limbs with her bare hands, smashed heads with her fists…  "TURN BACK!" The Ghouls stopped their suicide attack. Barely containing her anger, Seras looked at who commanded the undead. Giovanni.

"So, this is where your loyalties lie, Sebile Victoria of London." He was holding a morning star in his left hand. A lefty. "A pity… I'm sure we would've been good friends. Of course that'd be between the intervals of serving my master. Hehehehe…It's as if he was a teen, judging by his appetites." (Now there's a useless piece of info….)  Seras stood in a defencive stance. She was outweaponed, outranged and would be outnumbered in a few moments. Already the FREAKs hurried to join Giovanni, who charged in on her. Seras barely had time to dodge his morning star's swing against her head. He waved his hand, and the morning star swung back at her, this time aimed for her shoulder. Its spikes got to scratch her, but otherwise she managed to avoid it. But it seemed that Giovanni had grown quite familiar with that weapon, as each attack lead to another, and she kept having to walk back.

She tripped on a root as she walked, and found herself at his mercy (or lack of it). He grinned at the fallen vampiress. "You didn't really think the fledgling of our master's long defeated foe could win over the might of Nosferatu, did you? Now, you'll die for your insolence." He waved the weapon over his head a few times, before swinging it at Seras. For her, timed stopped, and her muscles froze. "_I don't want to die… I wish I was sitting in my bike, riding back to the mansion… To my home… I think that's what it is now, right…? I've lived there long enough…But I wish I will for some more time…" _She closed her eyes, readying herself for the spiked iron ball to hit her.

She felt all of a sudden her body being in more than one place at a time, her sight becoming hazy for a moment… And when she came to, she was falling a few inches above the ground next to her bike's parking space. "_I have… teleported!? Master said I was too weak for it… Alucard…_" She smiled happily. He would be proud of her when she brought him back. Grabbing the heart in her mouth once again, she hopped onto her bike, and drove all the way back to the mansion, humming Mr. Big's Shine.

Seras was still limping when she made it back to the dungeons. Before putting the heart next to Alucard's other body parts, she stopped at her own room, taking a shower to relax and wash out the hair dye. While the water and soap dripped from her scalp, she wondered what Alucard would do after his restoration. He was proud, the kind that refuses any help from others, but sometimes he seemed to enjoy working with her… Like that time long ago when she was suspicious of Stetra. Eh, it was a bit like what they had been doing for the past three years! She blinked, and a contact lense came out. It fell into the bath tub, only to be picked up by the vampiress. The other seemed to have come out during that wild fall…

Wrapping herself in a towel, she made to her room. She dressed herself in a nightgown, grabbed the heart and the sorcery book she had borrowed from Hellsing's library, and went to Devil's Road. Fortunately, the mercenaries threw in a pary and were all drunk, and so she didn't have to hear their stupid comments. A good thing too, when you're in a nightgown… Seras' knee seemed to have recovered, as she no longer limped. Of course, the ansiety she was feeling could have something to do with that. She felt like a High School girl before her first date… "_Knock it of, Seras! You're just going to fix your Master… It's not even like he'll appreciate… He'll just complain about why I took so long._" These thoughts made her calmer… Even if she didn't believe them in the least.

Next Episode!!! Seras finally repairs her Master!! How will Alucard react?? Reviews are welcome!!


	4. The Dragon's Child Awakens I

'Fore we start:

First of all, I'm terribly sorry about the lateness and shortness of this chapter. Let's just say blockimpatienceinsipiring muse gone = crappy chappie… I'll try to do better next time, promise!

Just realized that Alucard's flashbacks didn't quite explain how he got away from Poenari after defeating the siege force. So I add my own spice to a Romanian folk story…

Dracula = Son of Dragon... Everybody must know this by now, but just in case...

Also, a friendly reviewer has corrected me concerning chappie 2… it's Her Majesty's theatre, not Queen's theatre… darn.

Ok, on with it!!:

_Vlad stood silent as the priest said his final blessings. His wife's body would be buried in Poenari's chapel. "_**Though she deserved the finest cathedrals in Italy.**_" He thought to himself. He left the chapel with a blank look, but with his fists closed. He'd make the Turks pay. But now, he needed to think of what to do. He heard from his spies that the previous exhibitions of strength had scared off Sultan Mehmed, and that it was his brother Radu that lead the Turkish army. Some leaders in Germany called them atrocities… Impalling every prisoner they had in the dungeons, plus a few of his detractors still lingering as well as the Turkish soldiers imprisoned during his customary raids across the Danube was something one didn't see every day, true… But claiming he slaughtered his own people? They had gone mad!_

_It didn't matter. The fact now was that he needed to leave Poenari at once. It was winter… snow covered the paths, and the Turks would easily track him to wherever he fleed. Staying was suicide, though. Not knowing what to do, and without the head for it, he went back to his keep. The guards and servants avoided his eyes as he passed by them. He arrived at his throne room, and sat down, staring blankly at the ceiling. Vlad closed his eyes for a moment, but could only think of her… DAMMIT!!! He had to occupy his head with something else! Like getting out and not being caught by his foes._

_Though… He had no idea how. Punching the throne's armrests to vent his anger, he called for the village elders. One of the rare things his father told him was to always look for advice from the old… And it was a good advice, since they managed to survive long enough to be old. Laughing silently at the wise thought, he waited patiently for their arrival. And they didn't make him wait for long. There were three, a carpenter, a cook and a blacksmith. Vlad rose from his seat, as they bowed before him. "**Save those bows for someone that deserves them. If I was worthy of them, I wouldn't have asked for your aid. The Turks have pinned us down. If I attempt to escape in this snowy weather, their light cavalry will pick up with me. How do you suggest I go about leaving and crossing the border to Transylvania?**" The elders looked at each other for a moment, and closed their eyes, as if the weight of their thinking was causing them strain._

_Finally, the blacksmith elder opened his eyes, and spoke rather enthusiastically. "**M'Lord, let us reverse the shoes of horses to make them think someone has entered when in fact we have gone away!**" Vlad's face lightened. It was a good idea indeed… By dusk, the horses were ready. All of the surviving loyal nobles and knights, which were just a handful after the last battle, would be accompanying him, as well as the elders. Save for Grga, who decided to stay behind. "_**Our Queen was clear: she would rather die than see you dead. Now it's my time to do the same for you. My life ends here, and I don't regret my choice.**" _Those were the last words he spoke to him_.__

_Their ride was an unneventful one, and soon they arrived at their destination. Vlad remembered the elders deserved a reward. He searched in his pocket, and picked up a few gold coins. Which they refused. "**Please, my lord, give us not gold or silver, for they can be spent.**_ **_Give us land because the land is fertile and will keep us alive for all time_**_So he asked for a rabbit skin and wrote on it, "**I give you, the elders of Aref, fourteen mountains and nine sheepfolds which you will have forever**."_

And they still have them… To this very day… Alucard would've smiled if he could. He didn't show, but he adored when Romanians called him their greatest national hero. And he nearly spent a whole week laughing when they considered Bram Stocker's crappy little novel about him just a means to discredit him! And they were right. Half of what he wrote were lies, greatly helped by Van Helsing… Creepy little half-dannish crazy bastard…

Seras had placed the head, heart and body of her Master inside a coffin. It stood in the centre of a circle of candles in the floor. Taking a brief pause to breathe, she cut her wrists with a dagger and poured her blood on a golden plate. According to the book in her lap, the blood of a virgin was the only thing strong enough to regenerate a nearly fallen No Life King. She opened it, and skimmed through the pages depicting goat headed people dissemboweling scared men, organs in vials and little impish creatures. She arrived at the part that got her attention not so long ago: "How To Revive A Dismembered Corpse"

"From ancient times, dismembering was a way of making sure your enemies did not return from the dead, as well as discourage its remaining supporters from assuming command. As such, it was a punishment only applied to the strongest enemies. The pieces were often scattered across the land, kept where they could be seen, but still hard to claim. Retrieving a man's parts was a very rare occurrence, and as such the ritual of ressurection remained comparatively obscure to the practitioners of the Occult. But that didn't prevent it from being fashioned, of course. It is essential that the body parts be placed adjacent to each other, preferably as similarly as they were before the dismemberment."

After reading this last phrase, Seras rose up and went to the coffin to try and place the heart and head where they belonged. She shredded some of the paper covering Alucard's chest, and placed his heart inside the hole made by Laiota's dirty talons. Remembering how close his deformed face came to hers, she let go off the heart… Only noticing that it was upside down when the pages began crawling to the hole, trying to cover it again. Seras sank her hand, trying to turn the organ around, ignoring the cold and greazy fluids in the cavity. The paper seemed to have a mind of its own, because it stopped for a moment and started crawling up her arm.

Seras froze for a moment, and pulled her arm away, but the paper strings tugged back, wrapping her forearm and escalating up. Grabbing the coffin's lid for support, she pulled rougher, to no avail. When the paper was about to reach her shoulder, she let out a growl, and her pupils shrank into a pair of thin lines. She pulled again, this time much stronger, at the same time whacking it with her free hand, and managed to free the arm. Seras went back to normal as soon as she heard the relieving sound of shredded paper… And so lost balance as she was thrown back by the momento, and fell flat on her back. Rising back, she cursed Letice's sorcery, only to remember she might have to do the stunt again to connect the head to the rest of the body…

Seras already had a taste of just how tricky the paper could be, and so didn't have as many complications as the first time, using her ritual dagger to slice through the paper. With that done, she sat back on her knees, and looked for the actual instructions. "Once that is done, place the corpse around a circle of candles, and recite the following words, holding this book in your hands: Vishtriine rodasskei eru na gorento lobassdana. The ritual will suceed if, and only if the blood of a virgin is nearby, preferably plenty of it to make sure the subject doesn't die again from exhaustion." Not much to worry, Alucard was already dead…

Seras bit her bottom lip in anxiety. Now was the "moment of truth"… The sound of a book being closed echoed in the room. She spoke the words… "Veeshtreeny roadaskey euro nae gore-into loubassdena!" Nothing… Beginning to panick, she searched for something concerning the chant, wondering if it wasn't all a practical joke. And she came across a most interesting phrase: "The enchantment's creator often imagined the english trying to revive their fallen heroes and failing, because of their atrocious incapability of adapting to different accents." Seras grinded her teeth. "_Very funny…_"

In the films (movies, depending on whether you speak Brit English or Am English), chants are always pronounced like… the Lord Of The Rings elven characters' names. So, it was all a matter of twisting the tongue. Thruth be told, Seras was now more pissed than nervous, what really helped her to cast the spell. She breathed in, and said in a strong, secure tone… "Vishtriine rodasskei eru na gorento lobassdana!" The words echoed throughout the room, in an inhumane voiced that repeated Seras' words the same instant they were pronounced. The candles' fire seemed to jolt up, and winds appeared from nowhere connected the flames in a whirlwind. The virgin blood began to pour out of its plate, and towards the coffin. For a moment, it soaked the accursed leaves, that seemed to prevent it from bathing Alucard.. but only for a moment, as the red stains began to fade. Seras could almost see a small twitching in the bandages… The whirlwind of fire fell against Alucard, and exploded in light when it came in contact with him. A few of the leaves were half-burned… And a light moan was heard.

_Alucard suddenly woke up from his revelry. He could feel it… His earthly frame had been regenerated… Undeath dominated it once again. He was stiff, like if his muscles wouldn't obey, though he could feel the strain. He growled silently, irritated by the setback. He couldn't open his eyes either. Or rather, he opened them, but it was pitch black. And a strange texture was felt… Alucard remembered. The leaves! Telling to himself Letice deserved the deepest, meanest, most revolting circle of Hell, he twitched and jerked angrily inside his prison, that gave in to the constant forcing, and released his arms. He clutched his hands, the hard as iron muscles expanding and ripping apart the remaining paper. Alucard took his hands to his face, and ripped out his "mask" with a deafening roar._

Seras was fearstruck at her Master's angry ressurection. She shivered when his face emerged from the shattered leaves, and his lion roared echoed through the room, likely being heard in every corner of the mansion. Alucard kept ripping out the remaining leaves, showing he was wearing his dark red leather uniform. His eyes held their usual psycho shine, mingled with a bit of irritation. The "beast-in-a-cage" syndrom… As he removed the last strips of paper from himself, Alucard finally allowed himself to relax. His face was innexpressive as he examined the room. Someone had arranged it for spellcasting. His eyes, that busily looked at every corner, rested upon the petite girl in a nightgown. His lips began to twist into a smirk, then a grin, and almost a smile. "Did you just cast a restoration spell, Policewoman?" He got out from his coffin, walking towards Seras.

Her fear was being slowly replaced by happiness. There was something in her Master's eyes. Pride…? "Master…" It was all she could say, she was at a loss for words. Oh well, action speaks louder than jabbering… She rose up, and ran towards him, nearly throwing him to the ground and smashing his torso in her bear hug. Alucard was caught of guard, but didn't seem to mind. His fledgling had done good, she deserved some form of compensation. He passed his gloved hand through her hair, caressing her scalp. For Seras, that moment seemed to last for an eternity, even if it was less than a minute, until Alucard spoke into her mind. "**_Enjoying yourself, Seras? I know I am._**" Blushing, the girl let go of him, looking down to the ground and stepping back. "I'm sorry, Master. It's just that…" That what? What was going on her head? "That you missed me?" Alucard finished her sentence. She looked back up, a bit surprised, a bit embarrassed. "Yes…"

Alucard chuckled. "No need to be shy about it. I like to think only special people miss me. The others can't stand my presence. They are stupid, worthless creatures, that consider themselves superior to bloodsuckers." His sardonic tone returned. "Humans. There was once a time when you clinged to humanity… Ridiculous. Tell me…" He brought his face closer to hers. "… Do you think you could've accomplished half of your recent achievements being a low level vampire like that?" She nodded. He was right, as usual. "But I've left that past behind, Master!" She added happilly. "Look at this new trick!" Seras dissappeared from his sight, and reappeared behind him. Only then she noticed Alucard's hair was longer than usual, falling nearly at his waist. Not that she was surprised… Instead, she decided to pull a prank on him, or rather, pull his hair. But as her hand came closer, the hair split into two parts, and behind it, Alucard dissapeared. She looked up, startled. He had vanished.

Alucard was most impressed. Her fledgling was proving to be quite a vampire. She had learned the art of teleportation early… Very interesting. He was half-hanging from the ceiling, appreciating her surprised face as she looked for him. "Well done. I'm beginning to think turning you was a good decision, Policewoman." Seras was even more surprised when she spotted him. "But I believe we've got work to do. Meet me in… 'your' office." There was a rather obvious ironic tone in his voice. He sunk into the shadows, going to… wherever he went when he did that. Sighing, she walked out of the room, and into the office, stopping by her room to slip into her uniform. The usually mocking mercs seemed more silent than usual. Yep, Alucard's roar was heard. Though he might've caused some mischief while heading upstairs, because one of them was curling against a corner whispering something about a black shade with many eyes…

Alucard wasn't there… Typical. Seras sat down by her desk and turned on the computer. Sighing, she played around with a pen while the OS loaded. "Any new messages from our Round Table supposed friends?" Alucard materialized from a wall. She hated it when he did that. He was now wearing his usual attire, save for the hat and sunglasses. "Uh, was just going to check that out, Master!" She opened her mail… And there was indeed a message from the Round Table. Subject: "Since you didn't reply to Father Maxwell." Lifting an eyebrow, she opened it:

"Commander Seras Victoria,

Since you haven't replied to Father Maxwell's order to surrender him possession of the Hellsing Organization, it is with great regret that we inform you the 13th Division of the Pope's Special Task Force will arrive at your location 24 hours after this message's submission. Their orders are to relieve you of command, and seal you and the vampire Alucard in the Mansion's dungeons. This is not the time to trust our sworn enemies, as I'm sure you understand. If you resist, they will attack and kill you. So, for your own good, don't do anything stupid.

Yours truly,

Robert Islands, Chairman of the Round Table"

Seras' chin fell. "They're… giving up on us?" Alucard simply snickered. "Do I have to answer that? They're useless inbreeds that survive by associating themselves with the strong, and preying on the weak. It's amazing that they didn't allow the Vatican to attack us sooner." He tilted his head upwards, laughing loudly. "Splendid! Truly splendid! At last, I can kill those fucking priests at my leisure, or rather, in 'self defence'!" He walked to the gaping hole behind the desk, closing his eyes and keeping his usual grin. "It's been a long while since I last did this…" He rose both his arms, and regained his deranged expression. His body tensed… And the clouds in the dark sky began to grow in size. More were being brought from the horizon by powerful gusts of wind, that dragged with them all sorts of things: dead leaves, trash bags, general litter (OK, all sorts of trashy things…). Alucard brought one hand down abruptly, and a thunder clashed against a tree a few miles away, sending sparks and severing branches.

Seras simply looked dumbfounded at him. She had never known her Master had such abilities. Then again, she had never bothered to ask, he had never bothered to tell, and his permanent removal of the seals had been a recent development. "Master… What, I mean… Why are you doing that!?" Alucard simply continued his melody, laughing maniacly. The storm calmed down a bit, and bats took to the sky, flying around the Mansion as if led by someone. Alucard turned to face Seras. "These are the abilities sealed by Van Helsing a century ago, Seras. All vampires control the winds and the creatures of the night. Even you can do it. As long as you keep drinking blood." He slowly faded away. "This was a declaration of war, Policewoman. Against whoever threaten us… The Hellsing Organization."

It was almost dawn. Shaking away the intimidation caused by Alucard's display, Seras went to the men's quarters. No matter how much she loathed their arrogance and macho attitude, she still had to warn them tomorrow would be a tough night. When she arrived, they were doing the usual: singing smug songs, drinking and farting… "Attention!" All she got was silence and moans. "Tomorrow the Iscariots will attempt an assault on our base. You are to barricade every possible entrance and defend it with your lives. I'll be at the cave upstairs giving heavy gunfire support. Alucard"…_I hope_… A few mercs looked inbetween scared and dissapointed… " will aid you holding back the Iscariots. May God and the Queen's blessing be with you. Amen." It was a bit strange to plea for the Queen's blessing right now, when they were abandoned by the Round Table. And stranger still for a vampire to ask for God's blessing… But hey, the ones receiving them weren't the least bit religious… "Pfff… Why should we obey that friggin' whore!?" A particularly drunk merc said.

The man was leaning against a wall, with an empty beer can on his hand, and a lot more around him. He walked up to her, tripping in just every object along the way, including other teammates drunk to the point they couldn't stay awake and felt asleep on the floor… He was blonde, slim, and with a less than trustworthy face. He was wearing a white t-shirt saying "My parents went to Germany and all I got was this lousy beer stain!"… That had seemed to be created not so long ago… "We ain't payed enough fer this shit… Why should we fight agains' those guys…?" He started tripping on his own feet… Seras dismissed with great effort her sudden desire to rip his liver off… "You've agreed on the payment I've offered you! And in turn, you follow my orders! That's how it works!" Her voice was neither so loud as to be shouting, nor so quiet as to let them perceive weakness. Still, it didn't seem to convince them. "An' who's gonna enforce that law…? Eh…? You, bloodsucking whore? Think I'm afraid o'ye?"

The guy advanced on her, clumsily trying to punch Seras' face. She didn't bother dodging, just grabbed his fist in middair. "Stop this at once!" Her patience was running out. The man tried to kick her belly, but she dodged, and twisted his wrist. Shooting away from the pain, he was brought to his knees. "Stupid… cheating whore…" Somehow, Seras was sure Integra had never been through this… "**_And you're right. Unlike you, she commanded respect._**" Great… Alucard decided to watch the fight. "**_What are you doing, Policewoman? Just when I think you're finally turning into a worthy vampire, you let your pitiful human feelings take over… Kill him. Make an example! You're their superior!_**" His voice was excited. It was obvious he wanted to see her drink blood straight from the source, and he didn't bother hiding it. Seras couldn't do that to her own men… Bad for morale. But then again, it was low enough as it was.

Not enough an excuse though. She just slapped the man, making sure she didn't use too much strength. What didn't prevent a small trail of blood from coming out of his mouth. "If you don't like it, then leave! But you won't last long in city filled to the brim with vampires. So, if you want to be the least reassured of your safety, stay here and obey my orders." The men were more serious this time. Some of them nodded, others just turned their face or looked to the ground. Seras smiled. "_Guess I can command respect too._" The guy she slapped got back on his feet, and walked silently back to where he came from. She made a mental note to look out for him, he might bear a grudge against her later on. "Alright men! We need to get this mansion ready for the siege! Barricade every possible entrance, using whatever things you can find! Our enemies will be using blades, so wooden surfaces can be used. Those of you who are snippers, go to the upper floors' windows and attempt to take as many as you can down before they make it through the gardens! Go!" The mercenaries lazily went to take care of things. "Told'ya we shouldn't have spent the night sandsaffing…" Said one. "I knew that roar had to be… HIM!!!" Said other. Seras giggled imperceptibly.

She walked back to her room, yawning every now and then. It was a tiresome night. And it was getting late as well. As soon as she opened her coffin bed's lid, she felt into that semi-conscious state just as you are about to go to sleep, and let herself fall into the blanckets. She didn't even bother closing the lid… Meanwhile, Alucard was taking sips from his glass of blood and whine (he picked up a blood pack by the freezer and assaulted the cellar), a mix that had kept his identity hidden in many a feast. "**_Seras is begginning to correspond to the promisse she's shown. And now that we're at war… She'll even beg to follow my hand into the path of darkness._**" He wasn't wearing his hat still, though he fiddled with his sunglasses with his free hand. He couldn't sleep; that's what he'd done for the past week. So, he just fiddled around with his favourite instrument, if we conveniently forget his two handguns. It got old after a while, so he put them back on the table, as well as the glass. The No Life King blended with the shadows, and "crawled" his way to Integra's office.

"There was a very nice music playing device in there… what was it called again? Ah yes! A walkman." He whispered to himself, looking through the many shelves. And eventually, after searching for an hour (nothing by vampire standarts…), he found it. Grinning, he pulled out from his jacket a rather unlikely item: Brahms' sacred coral music, all in one CD he'd asked Walter to burn… Since they were both great lovers of Classic music, he immediately agreed. For Alucard, it reminded him of the good ol' days, when vampires were real vampires, men were real men, and no one made a mess of something as simple as drinking a human dry. He kept himself from remniscing this time, that he was sick of doing… As the first rays of sun shot over the horizon, Alucard put his sunglasses back on. As well as his hat, that materialized over his head. The sun was such a bothersome thing…

His thoughts drifted on to Seras. She had restored him… At a great personnal risk to herself, that was true. Well, she wouldn't have been in such danger if she'd accepted her nature a long time ago. Still, her resourcefulness was a welcome surprise, as well as her newfound ability. He was genuinely impressed… Most vampires took decades to learn it. From the beginning, Alucard was sure she'd turn out to be a strong vampire… All that kept her behind was those annoying human standarts and protocols… Ridiculous. A race that slaughters itself, damages its surroundings with no regard whatsoever for the rest of the world's innhabitants, that preys on its weak to commit all sorts of wrongs… And on top of that, they called themselves "the perfects"!!! Alucard laughed out loud at this thought. It was most certainly a bad joke…

He was once human… Much was his sorrow. Even if he did have the privilege to live with men and women that actually honoured their race's title. Like Walter. Though he had a much more fitting name. The Angel of Death. When Alucard knew he had died from a heart attack, he nearly roared in anger. He respected the human a lot. In fact, he was the closest thing he had to a friend. He smirked. They were teammates back in World War II, though they didn't fight in the front lines. No, they hunted down artificially created Ghouls, a bit like today's FREAKs. The chip used today still beared the swastica in the centre. It could be nothing, though. The culprits could've just stolen the technology. Though, the swastica WAS a symbol of power. So, it might just as well be necessary for the damn things to work. Another proof of just how ridiculous humans were… Aryans declared themselves the superior subrace, instilled by their supposed blood enemy, and resorted to "corpses" to defeat the "under-humans".

"Stupid idiots." Alucard whispered, grinning. He had sunk into a whirlwind of his own memories and thoughts. Music had that effect on him. He turned the walkman off, and put it back wherever it was in the first place. "**_What to do next…_**" He could pick on the mercs that were busilly working (for a change…), or practice his already perfect marksmanship, or hunt down a few beggars and be forever disgusted by the fowl taste of their skin, or taunt his Master… No, wait, that he couldn't do. Alucard didn't enjoy admiting it, but he was really fond of the little girl (in his eyes). He saw her as a mix of sister and daughter… Even if she was brainwashed commited to slaughtering vampires. Congratulations to the Hellsing family's lifestyle. Her death was… unglorious, to say the least. And it was his fault. He had been making stupid mistakes for some time now... But making Seras deal with two regenerators!? And for what? To have fun with the Judas Priest? (not that kind of fun, you pervs…)

He shook off those thoughts. At least his fledgling had survived. His heart had frozen (figuratively speaking) when he saw her impalled against a wall, but she was alright, considering the possibilities. "**_Why don't I double-check on her…_**" There was something to do after all! He reached out to her telepathically, to find she was fast asleep. These last days had taken their toll on her, and he more than understood her need for rest. Alucard sank into the shadows, and materialized in her room. He couldn't help but notice the coffin bed's open lid. "If this room was open to the outside, you'd be sunburnt, Policewoman." He shook his head in dissaproval as he spoke. Sighing, he waved his open hand, and Seras' body levitated gracefully. With his free hand, he opened her bed's sheets, and laid her down again, this time between them. Alucard looked at her before closing the lid. She looked like a little girl when she was asleep. Actually, she looked like one all the time, but moreso when her face wasn't concerned with everyday things, which were breathtaking in her case.

Alucard leaned down towards her, examining her neck. She still had the bitemarks he had imprinted on her when he turned her. Alucard smiled as he caressed her cheek. He enjoyed Seras' company. Moreso after Integra and Walter died. Even if he didn't need even half of an introvert mortal's social interaction, due to his "ancientness", it was still good to have someone to pick on. Even if he taunted only playfully. Alucard's soul, or whatever it was that replaced it, would get overjoyed whenever she frowned at his taunting, only to wait until she'd forgotten all about it, what happened a few instants later, going back to her innocent childish look. The reason why he kept calling her Policewoman, even if she had accepted it as only a nickname. It was a small, irrational pleasure of his…

Seras was cute, that he had seen from the beginning, but now he was just hypnotised by her face. He examined her large, perfectly round eyes (the shape, mind ye), her small nose and mouth, the unkept strawberry blonde hair, and especially her round, petite face that reminded him of a certain young woman of over a century ago… Then it came to him. She was the only person willing to put up with him for the present. He'd grown tired of being lonely… And therefore couldn't allow her to die. "I'll make sure you live through this, Seras." He caressed her face one last time, before closing the bed's lid.

When Seras woke up, it was about midnight. Her eyelids lazilly opened, still clinging to unconsciousness.She mentally shook her head. There was much to be done that night. She rose up… and nearly broke the lid as her forehead banged against it. "_H-how did it…_" She remembered not bothering to close it… Then, how was it close!? Did someone do it? No, no one would've entered her room unwanted except… "_MASTER!?_"

"**_You rang?_**" Alucard's mocking voice echoed inside her head. "Master… Did you enter my room last night!?" The perspective baffled her. It'd be an invasion of privacy! "**_Then again, what is privacy, Policewoman? We share a mental bond. It makes no difference whether or not I walk into your room or just sit in a chair; I'll always be able to take a peek. Hehehehehe… Now, get your Halconnen and meet me upstairs._**" Her fingers went white under her gloves, as she clenched her fists in anger. She'd get him back one day… Taunting and ordering her like that… Why did he want her to… That's right! Her anger turned into anxiety as she processed his command. The Iscariots would attack soon….

Next chapter: A fight between Iscariot and Hellsing ensues! Alucard's true powers, kept sealed for so long, are finally unleashed! Reviews are welcome!


	5. Interlude: Original Visits

Laiota was most upset. Actually, for some reason he was upset all the time, but that night, the night after Seras snatched her Master's heart under his very nose, he was actually angry. The blonde woman showed signs of spanking, and his behind a corner sobbing. As for him, he walked around in circles, occasionally shouting at her. "It was your fault, you stupid bitch! If it hadn't been for you, he'd been dead a long time ago!" She shivered at his hollering. Laiota had serious anger management issues. Giovanni walked in. "Master…" Laiota didn't bother looking at him. "Kazuma's here."

To that, Laiota simply raised an eyebrow. "What does that Japo want?" Before he knew it, a man about Seras' height stood behind him. "The Japo brings word from our Grandmaster." His gray hair was wrapped in a top knot, and he wore a jacket and hakama over his Kimono. At his waist, a daisho. His face was greyish, and his skin was wrinkled. He had all the traces of a Japanese man, though his eyes were between red and brown. He was carrying a long, flat object wrapped in a cloth bag, what prevented anyone from knowing what it was. "Our allies in Central America have just discovered an Original trapped inside this… object of vanity." He opened the bag, and shown the "object of vanity". It was a slim body-sized obsidian mirror, framed in gold in patterns of exotic animals, like feathered jaguars or half-lion, half-dragon creatures. When he put it in the ground, one would expect that it'd fall and break… but that didn't happen.

"An… Original, you say?" Laiota was now more serious… In fact, slightly fearful. "Wh-what's that gotta do with me?" Kazuma looked at him with despise. "It's well-known that you enjoy playing around with the Dark Arts. In fact, it was you who devised a way to bind FREAKs to Natives. So, our kinsman here's been too long imprisoned in this mirror… And it's expected of you to release him." Laiota gasped. "But… An Original!? Here!?"

"Don't worry." Kazuma replied. "He's the type that enjoys mascarades and seeing hearts ripped out. In fact, you should feel honoured. That'll give you more reason to hunt for blood. And you'll surely need to. In fact, for whole days, every now and then." The man had to be joking… What was an Original doing there? Hadn't they all been hunted down? "Just one question." Kazuma sighed. "Yes?"

"Who's he or she?" The old samurai smirked. "Why don't you find out for yourself?" His shape faded away, and he dissapeared from the room. Laiota howled in frustration. This had to be a trap… He was in charge of England, in fact he'd volunteered to do the job, driven by personal motives. And now, that his old enemy had escaped the trap he so carefully set up, they decided to get rid of him… The Originals were often taken for gods in the ancient times. They usually kept a low profile, until they were powerful enough to rule over humans through sheer power. Sometimes blood sacrifices were conducted in their honour, depending of how benevolent or not they were. And since he was likely an Aztec "god"… He'd need a lot of blood.

Laiota stared at the mirror. The polished obsidian blurred his reflection a bit. In fact… It somehow seemed to distort his features. He was horrible, that he knew, and that he coped with. But, the thing he saw in there… His skin had slowly rottened, and his bald head had grown long, white, unruly hair. Below his head, his muscles had grown black, rotten and underdevelloped, hanging from his bones. His clothes were nowhere to be seen… And then he knew, by the touch of cloth against his skin, that the creature in the mirror wasn't him. The beast smiled at him, admiring his surprised expression. It rose its hand, and all Laiota could do was stare as it came closer to his face, as his legs didn't seem to obey…

"Master Laiota!" Giovanni's scream awoke him. "You were… mesmerized by that thing." Laiota blinked. What was "that thing"? "Yes… it seems so." He grabbed the bag from the ground. "Let's put it back here for now." The two men hid once again the sinister mirror. When they were done, Giovanni stared at Laiota. "What?", he asked. "Is there anything else you need, Master?" Laiota sighed. "Yes, that you piss off and order some Ghoul to bring me my dinner." Giovanni grithed his teeth, but said nothing as he walked away.

He sat back in his chair… What was that thing? **_You can't escape me… Barasab Laiota…_** "Huh? Who's there?" Someone had spoken directly into his mind… **_In my good days, I'd happily send you to Hell… Traitor… But I depend on you, it seems… And you depend on me… Otherwise… Your power is forfeit…_** It had to be… the creature that dwelled in the mirror…


End file.
